Train Up a Child

November 23, 2015

Train up a child the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6 Before getting into this post I need to acknowledge fully that Proverbs are not promises! Proverbs are observations of repeated phenomena, not a promise. The author of Proverbs makes observations of consistent behaviors and outcomes, not stating a fact. We live in a world where bad things go on and sin is present and, because of that, Godly norms do not always happen – even if we “do everything right.” Ok, sidebar over. Since Proverbs commends parents to raise up their children well in order for their children to follow down that path Nate and I work hard to be teaching Caleb healthy behavior even at his very young age. Beyond the everyday safety things, at this point Nate and I focus primarily on faith and family. We know that eventually Caleb will have to decide for himself what he believes about his own faith and relationship with God. We pray that he decides to believe the way we do but we absolutely will not force our faith on him. Affiliate links may be used in this post. Ordering a product through this link may result in acommission, which helps pay for the cost of running this site and keeps the content free.I received one or more product in return for a review. Everything I say in this post is my honest feedback.Read my full disclosure policy for more details.Faith1. Bible reading Not only do we show Caleb that we read our Bibles and talk about theology in front of him (and will include him in those discussions one he’s able to talk), we also make sure we’re reading the Bible to him. It’s HARD to find a good, gospel centered Children’s Bible. Nate and I feel strongly that we do not want Caleb to grow up with a moralistic religion. Too many Children’s Bibles either focus solely on Biblical stories or focus on the stories and morals. The Jesus Storybook Bible is not like that, though. It’s our absolute favorite Children’s Bible. Every story is brought back to Jesus and the gospel! It’s AMAZING and will teach Caleb about the Grace of Jesus from a very young age. 2. Prayer Caleb can’t talk yet but we still include him in prayer time. Before meals we make sure he sees us praying (even though he’s already chowing down on his food – fussy baby won’t wait). As he gets older we’ll make sure he joins in on prayer time and doesn’t chow down while we’re praying but, for now, we call it good. I also make sure to sing a little prayer with him as I rock him before bedtime. We have a special prayer song all about the love of God and trusting Him. When he starts understanding what we’re singing I pray that he embraces it and does learn to trust in the love of God. Family1. Time Together Nate and I are intentional about spending quality time as a family. We want Caleb to learn that family time is fun! We wrestle with him, “talk” to him, play with him, and include him in pretty much everything we do. It’s important to us that Caleb loves family time and wants to spend time with us. Our motto is “Kelloggs are best friends.” 2. Exercise Yes, Nate and I could be SO much better at getting exercise in. That being said, it’s also important to us that we go for family walks as often as we can. We want Caleb to know that it is important to get out in the fresh air and enjoy time being active together. As he gets older we’re sure that HE will be dictating what sorts of activities we do outside whether it’s going to the park, playing a sport, or who knows what! We want him to live a fun, active life! 3. Family Meals It’s totally important for Nate and me that we spend our meals together. Family meals are healthy – both for physical health (food wise) and emotional health (conversation wise). We want Caleb to associate eating with health and togetherness, not with binging or grazing. Back in mid-October my family took the Billion Dinners Challenge! I encouraged you all to join us in downloading a super easy app (for iPhones and Androids) and logging on whenever you are eating a family meal – or any meal with more than one person and without technology. Using this app as an encouragement to actually sit down and have dinners together was wonderful! I hope those of you that joined in also got a lot out of it! We are so thankful for this encouragement to be teaching Caleb how important family meals are from such a young age. <><><><><><><><><><><> I would love to encourage each and every one of you to download and use the Billion Dinners app and start tracking your meals! If you REALLY want to get wild and crazy I think it would be awesome for you to join in on the 10 in 2 challenge – log 10 family meals in the course of 2 weeks!!! You’ll definitely get so much out of it! Make sure to use the hashtags #10in2 and #billiondinners and PLEASE tag me – @SusannahKellogg – and Billion Dinners – @DinnerCall. You could even win $100 of groceries for being a part of the challenge!!! Doesn’t get much better than that! Your Turn:What are you doing to raise up your child well?Will you join take the 10 in 2 challenge with your family?

Welcome!

I’m Susannah! The grace of Jesus defines my life. I’m a wife to Nate, a mama to Caleb and Josiah, and a friend to anyone who will let me. I’m pretty sure that coffee will always be my first love. Please stick around and join me in reclaiming the beauty of living a simple life.